Walking Can Help Relieve Symptoms of Depression

Depression affects millions of people, and the disorder can be a lifelong condition. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 10 people may develop depression at some point in their lives.

There are effective drugs for treatment of depression but unfortunately, the medications do have unwanted side effects. Moreover, over time, many medications appear to lose their effectiveness. Many patients with depression are continuously searching for that illusive treatment that can cure, or work for long periods.

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What is also of importance is that many treatments for depression are expensive. This applies to medications and psychotherapy. The financial burden of depression is enormous.

While drugs and psychotherapy are commonly prescribed by doctors for treatment of depression, exercise is rarely recommended. Many health care professionals seem to believe that exercise is only effective for organic disorders like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.

In the past, some studies showed that vigorous exercise could help relieve symptoms of depression, but the effects of less strenuous exercise were not evaluated. For some unknown reason many people including health professionals seem to think that only vigorous exercise is beneficial for health.

Now several reports indicate that simple walking may help many people fight the symptoms of depression. According to the researchers, one does not have to run a marathon, but a brisk stroll is just as effective. (1)

In this study, it was observed that the mildest form of exercise, walking, was an effective intervention for depression. Moreover, the beneficial effects were similar to other more intense forms of exercise.

The great thing about exercise is that it can be done by everyone and incurs no financial cost. It is relatively easy to incorporate exercise into a daily living program.

At the moment, it is not known how long the walking should be performed on a daily basis, how fast, or whether there is a difference when walking indoors or outdoors.

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.